, a series from Future Tense in which experts suggest specific, forward-looking actions the new Biden administration should implement.
Consumers in the U.S. face an infuriating lack of transparency when it comes to purchasing broadband services. Bills are convoluted, featuring complex pricing schemes. Roughly 7 in 10 U.S. adults surveyed by Consumer Reports who have used a cable, internet, or phone service provider in the past two years said they experienced unexpected or hidden fees. Unsurprisingly, 96 percent of those who had experienced hidden fees found them annoying. (To the other 4 percent: Are you OK?)
Advertisement
We’ve been here before. In 1990, a similar crisis of consumer confidence prompted one Cabinet secretary to decry that “as consumers shop… they encounter confusion and frustration.” He said the market had become “a Tower of Babel, and consumers need to be linguists, scientists and mind readers to understand the many labels they see.” While this diagno